You guys know I was a HUGE fan of Jessica’s first rock star book “Louder Than Love” (<— my review!! And you know what, you guys? This one is RE-READ good!!! It was so unique, because he was a hugely famous rock star that had recently retired and OMG I just loved everything about this story. She’s a librarian that hires the singer of her daughter’s favorite cartoon (but what a mess he is!! Some funny scenes here!) but over time… finds herself falling for him. Thing is… she has not yet realized that he’s an ex-famous-metal rock star that fell from grace the more popular he became. Oh there are some EXCELLENT reveals, and just some fantastic “living” in this one, you know?
It’s just PERFECT in it’s sweet, and SO bittersweet, too. But funny, edgy and angsty. Everything we love in contemporary romance, and she has since released TWO more stories in the series. So… on the heels of Jessica Topper’s latest rock star book release (Softer Than Steel (A Love & Steel Novel – that one up there to the left), she has sent us a fun, personal look into her love of rock stars and why she writes them!!
“Thank you for inviting me to chat about this series. I am super-psyched that my original readers are falling in love with Adrian all over again, and that new rock romance fans are discovering him and the rest of the band. :)”
Of course, Jessica!!! For us Adrian fans (and boy are we!!) how could we possibly not want an inside peek at the woman behind these gorgeous, realistic and SO FUN love stories. I’m telling you… guys. If you haven’t read book #1 yet, I must insist. It gave me all the feels, and by the end, my heart was overflowing in happy. It left me beaming… I can’t wait to find out about the other band members.
Ready to find out more?
Why I Write Rockers – Confessions of a Road Widow
By Jessica Topper
A friend sent me a picture of a shirt the other day. Its graphic read:
TOUR MANAGER’S WIFE:
Yes, he’s working.
No, don’t know when he’ll be home.
Yes, we are still married.
No, he’s not imaginary.
We had a good laugh over it, because it’s a universal truth in the music world. Nine to five, weekends and most bank holidays have little meaning to us “road widows,” as we are often called. My husband has been at it for twenty-five years and counting, with a band that consistently performs 65-100 shows a year in a handful of countries. People think it’s just the musicians who sell their souls for rock and roll, but the same can be said for the loyal crew who work behind the scenes.
And what about the ones who vow to love them “for better, for worse” etc? Well, some might question my sanity, but I, too, signed on for crazy hours, little sleep and utter devotion: I became a mother in 2001, and began working in the band’s headquarters in 2002. I was keeping the home fires lit with my moonlighting, but I was burning the candle at both ends.
So writing became my relaxation, a venting outlet and an escape.
We were living in a New Jersey suburb, and my husband was working with two bands at the time. I watched as “regular” husbands and dads commuted home from their “regular” jobs, the same time each weekday. Guys who traded in suits and ties for Ts and catcher’s mitts come weekends, for quality time with the family. If my little family unit wanted quality time, I had to haul my toddler a questionable number of miles, off her schedule and out of her comfort zone, to a venue that may or may not have indoor plumbing. I’d pop earplugs in her little ears, layered with Band-Aids so little fingers wouldn’t pry them out, and we’d rock out sidestage with Dad. Perhaps my glasses were a bit rose-colored, watching those suburban families…but I still loved staring at the spotlights. I didn’t want a trade-off. No, I wanted it all.
And so out of this unconventional reality I was living in, rocker extraordinaire Adrian “Digger” Graves was born.
I began to craft a talented charmer with patience and humor. A man who could effortlessly entertain a fickle child with song and silliness. Yet for my own selfish reasons, I wanted a sexy rock god as well. The guy who had thousands screaming his name as he commanded them from center stage. But how to reconcile one with the other? I gave Adrian a tortured backstory, yanked him out of the spotlight, and hid him under the radar. Nursing his wounds and just waiting for my widowed heroine, Katrina Lewis, and her young daughter Abbey to stumble across him in Louder Than Love.
With fingers feverishly typing out the book of my heart and the tale that would rock me to sleep each night, I had no clue that rockers were currently kicking ass and taking names in their own subgenre of romance books. I just knew I had to write Adrian. I had to write about what happens after the parties are done and the crowds have left and what a larger-than-life persona is left with. What becomes important to him, and brings out his essence, is love. As Metallica would say: “…and nothing else matters.”
To my delight, readers fell for my heavy metal hero with a heart of gold, embracing him with groupie-like zeal. I’m happy to say Adrian’s entourage has grown, and this quirky, lyrical rock star story has become a series! Deeper Than Dreams serves as a fairytale-like epilogue of sorts, and now Softer Than Steel follows, charting the journey of Rick “Riff” Rotten, Adrian’s best friend and frontman of his band.
It’s more than just rock and roll fantasy for me. I write stories about men who steal the stage and the women who steal their hearts; inspired by the music I love and the guys I work with every day. All eyes are on them as they rock the house, but to watch their eyes light up when they see loved ones after so many nights on the road? That’s the pay-off and the happily ever after, for me.
I hope you’ll check out my Love & Steel series, and reach out to tell me what YOU love about rock star romance!
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WOW JESSICA!!! I HAD NO CLUE you were a rocker’s wife. Ahhhhh we are so lucky to live vicariously through you… through your super-awesome stories. 😀 I’m so thrilled over this!!!
- Jessica Topper – Love & Steel Series Reading Order <— Do it my friends!!! Check out this series for a full, well rounded, modern and fun love story!!!
- Jessica Topper’s Facebook page
- Twitter: @jesstopper
- Jessica Topper on Goodreads
- Jessica’s website: https://www.jessicatopper.com